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SPEAKER:
This is the Poetry Foundation's Essential American Poets podcast. Essential American Poets is an online audio poetry collection. The poets in the collection were selected in 2006 by Donald Hall, when he was Poet Laureate. Recordings of the poets he selected are available online at poetryfoundation.org and poetryarchive.org. In this edition of the podcast, we'll hear poems by Gertrude Stein.

Gertrude Stein was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania in 1874 to a wealthy German Jewish family. She lived in Europe until age five when her family moved to San Francisco. Stein grew up with little formal education but read voraciously. She attended Radcliffe College and studied medicine at the Johns Hopkins University, where she worked with the great philosopher and early psychologist, William James. Stein dropped out before attaining a medical degree and instead, in 1903, she moved to Paris with her lover, Alice B Toklas. She would live in Europe for the rest of her life. Stein's apartment on the left Bank in Paris became a meeting place for scores of writers and artists living in Paris between the wars, whom she called 'The Lost Generation'.

She was a champion of the new and the avant-garde, befriending Cubist painters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and modernist writers including Ernest Hemingway, Djuna Barnes and Ezra Pound. Stein was herself very experimental and wrote in many forms, including poetry, novels, essays, drama, autobiography, and children's literature. Stein's work is marked by unusual juxtapositions, sound patterns, unique grammar, and an interest in perception, all in an attempt to arrive at a truthful representation of experience. Her first book of poems, Tender Buttons, draws on Cubism and other techniques in visual art to describe a variety of everyday objects in surprising ways. She was an influential presence in modernist literature, but only one of Stein's own books was a popular best-seller. In The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, Stein assumed the voice of her longtime companion and wrote about their private lives and their circle of expatriate artists. After the book's publication in 1933, Stein toured the United States giving lectures and talks.

It was the first time she had returned to the US since 1903. Stein's other books include Three Lives, The Making of Americans, How to Write, and Stanzas in Meditation and Other Poems. Her work has had a profound impact on American poetry and writing. Reviewing her work, the poet John Ashbery declared 'Stanzas in Meditation' is no doubt the most successful of her attempts to do what can't be done to create a counterfeit of reality more real than reality. And if, on laying the book aside, we feel that it is still impossible to accomplish the impossible, we are also left with a conviction that it is the only thing worth trying to do. Gertrude Stein died in France in 1946. The following poems were recorded in the winter of 1934, in New York City, during her book tour of the United States.

GERTRUDE STEIN:
'A valentine to Sherwood Anderson. Idem the Same'. I knew too that through them, I knew too that he was through, I knew too that he threw them. I knew too that they were through. I knew too, I knew too, I knew, I knew them. I knew too them. If they tear a hunter through, if they tear through a hunter, if they tear through a hunt and a hunter. If they tear through the different sizes of the six, the different sizes of the six which are these, a woman with a white package under one arm and a black package under the other arm, and dressed in brown with a white blouse. The second Saint Joseph, the third, a hunter in a blue coat and black garters and a plaid cap. A fourth, a knife grinder whose full-faced and a very little woman with black hair and a yellow hat, and an excellently smiling appropriate soldier. All these as you please. In the meantime, examples of the same lily. In this way, please, have you rung? What do I see? A very little snail, a medium-sized turkey, a small band of sheep, a fair orange tree.

All nice wives are like that. Listen to them from here. Oh, you did not have an answer here? Yes, a very valentine. Very fine is my valentine. Very fine and very mine. Very mine is my valentine. Very mine and very fine. Very fine is my valentine and mine. Very fine, very mine and mine is my valentine. We were able to notice that each one, in a way, carried a bundle. They were not troubled to them, nor were they all bundles, as some of them were chickens, some of them pheasants, some of them sheep, and some of them bundles. They were not a trouble to them. And then indeed, we learned that was the principal recreation. And they were so arranged that they were not given away. And today, they were given away. I will not look at them again. They will not look for them again. They have not seen them here again. They are in there and we hear them again. In which way are stars brighter than they are? When we have come to this decision, we mention many thousands of buds. And when I close my eyes, I see them.

If you hear her snore, it is not before you love her. You love her so that to be her beau is very lovely. She is sweetly there and her curly hair is very lovely. She is sweetly here and I am very near and that is very lovely. She is my tender sweet, and her little feet are stretched out well, which is a treat and very lovely. Her little tender noses between her little eyes, which close, and thou very lovely. She is very lovely and mine, which is very lovely. On her way. If you can see why she feels that she kneels, if you can see why he knows that he shows what he bestows, if you can see why they share what they share, need we question that there is no doubt that by this time, if they had intended to come, they would have sent some notice of such intention. She and they and indeed the decision itself is not early dissatisfaction. Let us describe. Let us describe how they went. It was a very windy night, and the road, although in excellent condition and extremely well graded, has many turnings.

And although the curves are not sharp, the rise is considerable. It was a very windy night and some of the larger vehicles found it more prudent not to venture. In consequence, some of those who had planned to go were unable to do so. Many others did go, and there was a sacrifice, of what shall we, a sheep, a hen, a cock, a village, a ruin, and all that. And then that having been blessed, let us bless it.

“If I told him, a completed portrait of Picasso.” If I told him, would he like it? Would he like it if I told him? Would he like it? Would Napoleon? Would Napoleon would. Would he like it? If Napoleon, if I told him. If I told him, if Napoleon. Would he like it if I told him? If I told him, if Napoleon. Would he like it if Napoleon. If Napoleon, if I told him. If I told him if Napoleon. If Napoleon if I told him. If I told him, would he like it? Would he like it if I told him. Now. Not now and now. Now. Exactly as as kings. Feeling full for it. Exactitude as kings. So to beseech you as full as for it.

Exactly or as kings. Shutters shut and open, so do queens. Shutters shut and shutters and so shutters shut and shutters and so and so shutters and so shutters shut and so shutters shut and shutters and so. And so, shutters shut and so and all so and all so and so and so and also. Exact resemblance to exact resemblance the exact resemblance as exact as a resemblance, exactly as resembling, exactly resembling, exactly in resemblance, exactly a resemblance, exactly and resemblance. For this is so because. Now actively repeat at all, now actively repeat at all, now actively repeat at all. Have hold and hear actively repeat at all. I judge judge. As a resemblance to him, who comes first. Napoleon the first. Who comes too coming, coming too. Who goes there? As they go, they share. Who shares all? All is as all as, as yet or as yet. Now to date, now to date, now and now and date and the date. Who came first? Napoleon at first. Who came first? Napoleon the first. Who came first? Napoleon first.

Presently. Exactly do they do. First exactly. Exactly do they do too. First exactly. And first exactly. Exactly do they do. And first exactly and exactly. And do they do. At first exactly and first exactly and do they do. The first exactly and do they do. The first exactly at first exactly, first as exactly at first as exactly presently, as presently. As as presently. He, he, he, he, and he and he and, and he and he and he and, and as and as he, and as he and he. He is and as he is, and as he is and he is, he is and as he and he and as he is, and he and he and, and he and he. Can curls rob can curls quote, quotable. As presently, as exactitude, as trains, has trains, has trains, as trains, as trains presently proportions, presently as proportions as presently, father and father was the king or room father and father. Was there, was there, what was there, was there. What was there, was there. There was there. Whether and in there as even say so. One island, two island, three, the land, three, the land, three, the land.

Two, I land, two, I land, one, I land, two, I land as a so. They cannot a note, they cannot a float. They cannot, they dote. They cannot, they as denote. Miracles play, play fairly, play fairly well, a well, as well, as or as presently. Let me recite what history teaches. History teaches.

An early portrait of Henri Matisse. Matisse. One was quite certain that for a long part of his being, one being living, he had been trying to be certain that he was wrong in doing what he was doing. And then when he could not come to be certain that he had been wrong in doing what he had been doing, when he had completely convinced himself that he would not come to be certain that he had been wrong in doing what he had been doing, he was really certain then that he was a great one, and he certainly was a great one. Certainly, everyone could be certain of this thing, that this one is a great one. This one was one very many were knowing some and very many were glad to meet him. Very many sometimes listened to him.

Some listened to him very often. There were some who listened to him, and he talked then. And he told them then that certainly had been once suffering. And he was then being one trying to be certain that he was wrong in doing what he was doing. And he had come then to be certain that he never would be certain that he was doing what was wrong for him to be doing then. And he was suffering then, and he was certain that he would be one doing what he was doing, and he was certain that he should be one doing what he was doing. And he was certain that he would always be one suffering. And this then made him certain this, that he would always be one being suffering. This made him certain that he was expressing something, being struggling. And certainly, very many were quite certain that he was greatly expressing something, being struggling. This one was knowing some who were listening to him, and he was telling very often about being one suffering. And this was not a dreary thing to anyone hearing that then.

It was not a saddening thing to anyone hearing it again and again. To some, it was quite an interesting thing hearing it again and again. To some, it was an exciting thing hearing it again and again. Some knowing this one and being certain that this one was a great man and was one clearly expressing something, were ones hearing this one telling about being one being living, were hearing this one telling this thing again and again. Some who were ones knowing this one and were ones certain that this one was one who was clearly telling something was a great man were not listening very often for this one, telling again and again about being one, being living. Certainly, some were certain that this one was a great man, and one clearly expressing something and greatly expressing something being struggling, were listening to this one telling about being living, telling about this again and again and again. Certainly, very many knowing this one and being certain that this one was a great man and that this one was clearly telling something were not listening to this one telling about being living, were not listening to this one telling this again and again.

Portrait of Christian Bérard, A painter.

Eating is her subject, while eating is her subject. Where eating is her subject, withdraw whether it is eating which is her subject. Literally, while she ate, eating is her subject. Afterwards, too and in between. This is an introduction to what she ate. She ate a pigeon and a souffle. That was on one day. She ate a thin ham and its sauce. That was on another day. She ate desserts. That has been on one day. She had fish grouse and little cakes. That was before that day. She had breaded veal and grapes. That was on that day. After that, she ate every day. Very little but very good. She ate very well that day. What is the difference between steaming and roasting? She ate it cold because of Saturday.

This portrait called 'she bowed to her brother' is an example of the new use of period, in which I used periods to break up the line rather than the commas because periods bring a more complete stop. Called, 'She Bowed to Her Brother'.

The story of how she bowed to her brother.

Who has him as his. Did she bow to her brother. When she saw him? Any long story. Of how she bowed to her brother. Sometimes not. She bowed to her brother. Accidentally. When she saw him. Often as well as not. She did not bow to her brother when she saw him. This could happen. Without him. Everybody finds in it a sentence that pleases them. This is the story included in how she bowed to her brother. Could another brother have a granddaughter? No, but he could have a grandson. This has nothing to do with the other brother. Of whom it is said that we read. She bowed to her brother. There could be a union between reading and learning. And now everybody reads. He bowed to her brother. And no one thinks. Thinks that it is clearly startling. She started by not bowing to her brother. And this was not the beginning. She has forgotten how she bowed to her brother. And in mentioning. She did mention that this was a recollection. For fortunately. In details. Details were given. Made an expression of recollection.

Does whether. They gather. That they heard. Whether. They bowed. To each other or not. If in. They made it. Doubtful. Or double of their holding it. A momentary after that. She was never readily made rather. That they were. Whether she asked her. Was she doing anything either. In all this there lay no description. And so. Whether they could come to be nearly more than more. Or rather. Did she. Bow to her brother.

SPEAKER:
That was Gertrude Stein, recorded in the winter of 1934 and used by permission of David Higham on behalf of the Gertrude Stein estate. Audio for this episode is courtesy of Pennsound, an ongoing project of the University of Pennsylvania committed to producing new audio recordings and preserving existing audio archives. You have been listening to the Essential American Poets podcast, produced by the Poetry Foundation in collaboration with poetryarchive.org. To learn more about Gertrude Stein and other essential American poets and to hear more poetry, go to poetryfoundation.org.